Keep an eye out for Dustin Serrano. He'll be the guy right behind Tom Cruise when alien invaders storm the planet.

A thriller, certainly, for Serrano -- who was called by Sande Alessi Casting, in Hollywood, as an extra in the blockbuster production.

I've been a fan of Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg all my life, says the 20-year-old actor, a graduate of Greensburg-Salem High School. So this was really cool.

Serrano, who moved from Pittsburgh to Reno, Nev., last August, was part of a three-day, two-scene shoot in California's Santa Clarita Mountains. Most of the action, he explains, involved crowds of people walking with suitcases or chasing after Cruise's car.

We're pretty jazzed about this, says the actor's father, Rico Serrano, of Greensburg. It was a call out of nowhere. And for someone his age to get into a movie like this ...

But will his son be more than a face in the crowd?

In this one scene, Tom Cruise is walking on a bridge, Dustin Serrano says. And I was told to walk right behind him. So, if they keep that shot, you'll see me.

Wearing a ""black-with-green-flames"" beanie, no less.

Very standout-ish, he says with a laugh. I was able to get my face out there. I was able to get in the front lines a lot.

During the shoot, Dustin Serrano took every opportunity to strike up a conversation with Cruise. They talked about the scene. They talked about the weather. They talked about Hollywood.

I told Tom I was moving down to L.A. in about four months, he says. He said, 'Good luck, and have fun. That's the most important thing.' My goal is to nail it in Hollywood and be really big. Hopefully that will happen.

This was a place to start, he says. I mean, War of the Worlds. Steven Spielberg. Tom Cruise. Really awesome.

Source: /www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/entertainment/movies/reviews/s_304871.html"">Pittsburgh Live"